Bill Richardson on Gun Control

Democratic Governor (NM); Secretary of Commerce-Designee

1993: Opposed Brady Bill in Congress

Richardson positions himself strongly as a man of the West--down to his cowboy boots and string tie. As part of this image, he promotes his support of gun ownership, which dates back to his opposition in Congress to the 1993 Brady Bill. When the National
Rifle Association endorsed him in his second run for governor in 2006, Richardson joined them for the announcement at the NRA-sponsored National Police Shooting Championships, held, according to the group’s website, at “a new, state-of-the-art facility i
Albuquerque’s Shooting Range Park, made possible with $1.4 million in funding and vigorous support from governor Bill Richardson.“ The NRA’s executive director reported that Richardson ”has treated us first class.“ Richardson, who supported a law allowin
New Mexicans to carry concealed weapons, told an appreciative crowd that he had a concealed-carry permit himself. ”I an not packing today, though, because I have plenty of State Police officers here to protect me.“

No guns for mentally ill or those with criminal background

Q: You have one of the highest NRA ratings.

A: The issue here, I believe, is instant background checks. Nobody who has a criminal background or is mentally ill should be able to get a weapon. That is the key, and that includes gun sales. That includes
gun sales at gun shows. The key is going to be also attacking poverty, dealing with those kids in the ghettos that are heavy users of gun violence and that are victims of gun violence, to make sure that this country attacks the core problems of poverty.

Attack poverty at the core of gun violence

Q: How would you address gun violence that continues to be the #1 cause of death among African-American men?

A: I believe the key to reducing gun violence, which is a scourge in our cities and all over
America, is to have strong instant background checks, to keep guns away from those that shouldn’t have them, those with criminal backgrounds, those that have mentally ill problems.
But the key in eliminating gun violence is eliminating poverty, eliminating hate. What I would do as president is I would dramatically increase the minimum wage. I would expand child care. I would expand the earned income tax credit.
I would have programs in this country to deal with those that are incarcerated, rehabilitation, treatment, education. Gun violence is a scourge, but we have to attack the core and that is poverty.

Assault weapons ban did not work; despite his vote for ban

Q: On gun control, as a congressman, you said, “I voted to repeal the assault weapons ban because I should respect the wishes of my constituents. In this case, the strong majority favor repealing the ban. That doesn’t mean it’s the right vote.” You voted
to ban assault weapons, then you voted to repeal it, because your constituents wanted it?

A: The crime bill, which put 100,000 cops on the street, took some of those initiatives. But I’m a gun owner & I’m a western governor. I believe the issue is not
gun control. The issue is instant background checks.

Q: Why do hunters need Street Sweepers or Uzi machine guns?

A: The assault weapons ban did not work.

Q: As president, would you seek to ban assault weapons?

A: It didn’t work. What I would
do is I would focus more of our efforts on, for instance, background checks with those with criminal backgrounds and the mentally ill. We have to tighten up those background checks. The problem is the states don’t have the database & the resources.

The 2nd Amendment is precious

Q: You are currently the NRA’s favorite presidential candidate declared in either party, based on their rating system. Did anything about the massacre at Virginia Tech make you rethink any part of your position on guns?

A: The first point I’d want to
make is my sincerest condolences to the families of those loved ones that perished. It was an unspeakable tragedy. You’re right; I’m a Westerner. The 2nd Amendment is precious in the West. But I want to just state for the record, a vast majority of gun
owners are law-abiding. This is an issue that deals with two fundamental problems in our system. The first is mental illness. We should ensure that all federal and state initiatives deal with making sure those with mental illnesses cannot get a gun.
We should find ways to ensure that our schools get the help that they need to detect these mentally ill patients. Secondly, I’m for instant background checks. We have to make sure states are properly funded to be able to detect those problems.

Endorsed by NRA; has his own concealed carry permit

The National Rifle Association lent its endorsement this week to Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat. For governor. But as he mulls a run for president, Richardson’s history of close relations with the NRA could set him apart from other
Democrats seeking the party’s bid.

As Richardson noted, he’s not the first Democrat to receive an NRA endorsement. “But there haven’t been very many,” he said. The NRA endorsement wasn’t the first time
Richardson has garnered the group’s backing. “He’s been a pretty solid guy on the gun issue,” a member of the NRA’s board of directors said.

Whether that record could woo pro-Second Amendment voters into the Democratic fold in a national
election is another question. The NRA endorsement cites Richardson’s support for a law that allows New Mexico residents to carry concealed handguns with a permit. Richardson said he has earned a concealed-carry permit himself.

Source: By Michael Gisick, Albuquerque Tribune
, Oct 3, 2006

We should ally with pro-gun recreationists in West

Richardson revels in his image as the quintessential Westerner. “You have to talk about guns in the context of lifestyle, recreation, a way of life,” the Governor argues, “rather than as just a measure to prevent murders and deaths. Democrats need to
move into a void in the West. The Bush Administration is scaring off recreationists, hunters and fishermen because of their extreme anti-environmental policies. It’s important to build alliances with them, and not to make the gun issue a litmus test.”